When I looked out my window this morning, I saw a hopeful reminder that spring is right around the corner. The oak trees outside, which had been nothing but scrawny twigs and branches for months, have sprouted new leaves!

It’s nice to know that even though it’s wet and gloomy outside, the trees are still paying attention to the calendar.

Doesn’t the outside scene above almost look like it could have been painted with the browns and greens in Josie Maran’s new limited edition Eye Love You Too Argan Eyeshadow Palette ($42)? I reviewed it a while back, but I thought you might like to see it in action…

It’s a follow-up to last season’s Eye Love You palette, which had some smokier, darker colors. Like that palette, the eight shadows in this new one also contain Argan Oil, Josie’s signature ingredient. Argan is rich in antioxidants like Vitamin E.

Several of the lighter shades have a very frosty finish, so if you aren’t a fan of shadows with a mirror shine then that’s something to keep in mind. I’ve noticed, however, that as the day wears on, the frost seems to mellow out, which could either be a good or bad thing depending on whether you’re Team Frost or not.

Eye Love You Too might seem expensive at $42, but the shadows break down to $5.25 each, which sounds better if you say it like that. Like all Josie Maran products, it’s made without parabens, petrochemicals, synthetic fragrances, and Tabs tells me it’s also cruelty-free. If you like practical palettes with sheer-to-medium neutrals and some greens thrown in for subtle flair, you might look this one up.

PRICE: $42AVAILABILITY: Sephora stores and also onlineMAKEUP AND BEAUTY BLOG RATING: A

A question for the chefs out there…

Last night I made a new dish for dinner, homemade spaghetti dish with turkey meatballs that, truth be told, looked more like turkey nuggets than meatballs. I think everything tasted pretty good (El Hub scarfed it down), but, I don’t know, it didn’t make my eyes roll back.

I had the leftovers for lunch today, and for some odd reason both the nuggets and the sauce tasted exponentially better — like a completely different dish! What’s going on here? Was it just in my imagination, or does it happen for a reason? Fill me in if you happen to know.

So far, 46 people have commented on this article. How cool is that?

As for the food – I don’t do the cooking in this household, haha. Though I think that usually happens with sauces and stews – they sink in, or something, so that they taste better the next day. A lot of recipes suggest you make things like chili a day in advance, so that the flavors have time to, um, settle? I guess. I don’t know. I prefer to make cookies. larie recently posted … Burts Bees Tinted Lip Balm- Honeysuckle

It’s a really nice palette, especially if you like neutrals with a little bit o’ green.

LOL, I wish I didn’t have to do the cooking because I kinda suck at it, but if I left El Hub to his devices we’d be eating canned chili every night of the week. I do enjoy baking, though! I’m more of a cake person than a cookie person, but I’ll happily eat both. What are your favorite types of cookies?

A lot of braises and stews need the rest time in the fridge for the flavors to meld together. When you reheat them, they showcase their combined flavor profiles and not the individual ones that came out as the dish reach different temperatures or for ingredients with different solubilities. Plus, as the meatball/nuggets cooled, they also absorbed some of the liquid from the sauce — making them both juicy and flavorful.

There are a bunch of dishes I make that I won’t consider tackling unless I can make them a day or two before I want to eat them. Brisket, beef daube, posole, ratatouille. All better the next day.

Fascinating! I’m so glad I decided to give them another try. Next time I make them I’ll be sure to factor in an extra day. Hopefully I’ll be able to figure out how to get the nuggets to stick together… they kept falling apart in the pan.

Looks like a good mix of things. I’d reduce the crumbs a bit as that seems like a bit more than I’d expect. I usually use just two tablespoons per pound of meat. Did you soak the crumbs in the milk before adding? You want them soggy enough to break down the structure of the crumbs but not dripping — if dripping you are adding too much liquid and you can just squeeze the excess out.

Once you mix it all together, it should seem a bit moist, but not too liquidy. Try beating the egg before adding so you can add a bit at a time.

Ya know, I don’t think I’ve ever eaten a pear that was just picked off from a tree. Wow, that’s neat (and weird, LOL!). We have some trees that smell funky here too. I don’t know the names of them, though.

First, I love love love living in Northern California. Even with this gloomy weather, I just think it’s so amazingly beautiful. I live in the east east bay, and every day I get to see beautiful green hills and Mt. Diablo. Love it. Second, though I LOVE neutrals, I’m thinking this might be a bit too light for me. I like a dark bronzy brown eye. I don’t really see this color in the this pallette. Speaking of, have you seen the Tarte “Today’s Special Value” on QVC.com? It’s amazing. I can’t wait to try one of their new powder blushes!

As for the food, you are not crazy! Food always tastes better the next day because the flavors have had the time to cool down and incorporate into the dish. The oils from the food really marry with the sauce and it matures into deliciousness! =) Once a week, I “cater cook” all my foods.. meaning I spend one Sunday (or Saturday cus I have no life LOL) and cook for the entire week. Foods that taste exceptionally better the next day are usually the pastas (turkey meatballs in your case :)), soups, curries and stews.

Wow, I’m learning a LOT about cooking from this blog. Seeing how I’m challenged in the kitchen, this is a GOOD thing. So, when you cook on Saturday do you actually make the meals? Or do you just do the prep work for them?

These colors look great on you and it’s uncanny how much they resemble your view!

Lots of people have already answered your question about food sitting overnight, which is awesome. The key to a good sauce is definitely a low, slow simmer. I bake my meatballs for 15 minutes and then add them and the drippings to the sauce. The whole thing then simmers for 4 hours. And I agree with Steph B – 2T of bread crumbs for 1 lb of meat. I have the best luck with dry crumbs in a canister (rather than food processing dried bread into crumbs) but my meatballs have to stand up to all that simmering in the sauce so they need to be a bit firmer.

I have been wanting this palette for awhile, so now I’m going to get it. The look is awesome Karen. I know you listed the colors, but can you tell us what colors you put where (lid, crease, outer corner)? Thanks!

I have started to use whole wheat pasta with my spagetti. It goes well with hearty sauces. I go to this blog when I need cooking inspiration.
Smittenkitchen.com
The writing and pictures are great and the few things I’ve made have turned out great.

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